Cape Cod residents can still use a series of free household hazardous waste drop-off days through Oct. 17 to safely dispose of toxic products while helping protect the region's drinking water.
Here's what to know
Through Barnstable County's "Love Your Local Water" program, Cape Cod residents and people at the Coast Guard Air Station can take household hazardous waste to no-cost collection events across the peninsula with proof of residency, according to the Cape Cod Times.
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension runs the effort through its hazardous-waste and water-quality program to capture materials that are too dangerous for the trash or the drain before they can contaminate the environment. Cape Cod's sole-source aquifer supplies local drinking water.
More background
Accepted materials include pesticides and herbicides, gasoline and brake fluid, oil-based and alkyd paints, solvents and paint thinners, marine paints, varnish, shellac, pool chemicals, and some cleaners and adhesives. For households holding onto these items, the collection events could also help avoid costly disposal problems.
According to the Cape Cod Times, the county will turn away latex and acrylic paint as well as water-based stains and finishes. Medical or biohazardous waste, including syringes, also cannot be dropped off, nor can explosives, ammunition, fireworks, flares, or smoke detectors.
If residents need to dispose of leftover latex paint, the county advises mixing in kitty litter to absorb the liquid and throwing it away after it has dried completely. Open dry paint cans can be recycled.
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What's being done?
Most events are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. and run until noon or 1 p.m. Collection dates are Aug. 29 and Sept. 26 in Barnstable, Sept. 19 in Orleans, Oct. 3 in Provincetown, and Oct. 17 in Bourne.
Funding for the events comes from Barnstable County, the Cape Cod Commission, and local towns.
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